


you are me and i am you (but we're not one and i am inferior)

by avosettas



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Asriel Dreemurr Lives, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I guess., Papyrus (Undertale) Remembers Resets, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, mild descriptions of past violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:47:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26220631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avosettas/pseuds/avosettas
Summary: “YOU ARE CORRECT, AS ALWAYS,” Papyrus says cheerfully. “WHICH IS PRECISELY WHY WE’RE FRIENDS!”Friends.FloweyAsriel thinks about that.
Relationships: Asriel Dreemurr & Papyrus
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	you are me and i am you (but we're not one and i am inferior)

**Author's Note:**

> [thinks about asriel] [thinks about asriel] [thinks ab
> 
> anyway this an actual puzzle i have and its AWFUL

The puzzle Papyrus lays out for them to do is a thousand pieces. It’s rectangular, a bunch of teacups arranged in overlapping rows, all white with colorful details. 

Asriel doesn’t know where to begin. Or why he agreed to visit Papyrus, really. 

(Maybe because Mom told him to. He didn’t really want another lecture on her understanding of depression and his failure to adapt to the surface. 

He’s not sure she knows what ~~he~~ ~~Flowey~~ he did as Flowey.) 

He must look confused, because Papyrus grins, and says “IT’S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU FIND THE CORNERS FIRST! THAT WAY, WE CAN FORM AN OUTLINE.” 

So Asriel begins picking through the pieces. Papyrus, across from him on the rug, is methodically arranging the non-outline pieces into piles, differentiating them in a way only he understands. Faintly, Asriel can hear the science show Sans is watching downstairs. 

Papyrus picks out the corners before Asriel does, but at least he’s gotten some edges put together. Papyrus scrutinizes the picture on the box for a moment, and then scowls. “IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHERE THESE CORNERS GO NOW!” 

“...I guess we keep going with the outline…?” Asriel says uncertainly. The bit he’s finished has a bit of green on it, but there are at least four cups on the edges with green details. 

“YOU ARE CORRECT, AS ALWAYS,” Papyrus says cheerfully. “WHICH IS PRECISELY WHY WE’RE FRIENDS!” 

Friends. ~~Flowey~~ Asriel thinks about that. 

He doesn’t remember precisely when he met Papyrus. It must have been early on, before he really got the hang of ~~destroying people’s lives~~ ~~destroying~~ messing with the timeline. 

He must look upset, or something, because Papyrus puts a big, gloved hand on his shoulder. “WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT? YOU CANNOT BE SAD IN MY PRESENCE!” The second bit is a joke, and Asriel knows this because Papyrus winks at him exaggeratedly. Asriel laughs at that, but it comes out… kind of watery. More like a sob, really. 

~~Flowey~~ ~~Asriel~~ _Flowey_ , when Asriel was Flowey, hurt Papyrus a lot. 

(Marrow dripping into snow and leaving little red sunken spots beneath the canopy of pine trees.) 

(Vines digging into Papyrus. Slicing at his bones right at the joints.) 

(Holding ~~the comedian~~ _Sans, his name is Sans_ down into the snow, making Papyrus watch as he whittled down his meager 1 HP into teeny little decimals...) 

“ASRIEL?” 

“Why _are_ we friends, Papyrus?” And maybe he is crying now. His fur feels wet and it feels like there’s salt on his fangs. “I, I hurt you so much, don’t you remember?” 

“YES.” Papyrus smooths back the tuft of fur between his tiny horns. Wipes at his eyes to dry them, a little too hard, because he’s Papyrus, and he never does anything half-heartedly. “OF COURSE I REMEMBER, ASRIEL.” 

“Then, then why?” 

“DIDN’T YOU HURT FRISK A LOT, TOO?” It’s off-topic. It _hurts_. 

“Why, why are you -” 

“THEY’RE STILL GIVING YOU A CHANCE, AREN’T THEY?” 

“Because they’re too nice!” Asriel shouts. Downstairs, Sans’s snoring cuts off abruptly, and then continues. He didn’t realize he could even hear it. Quieter, he says, “They shouldn’t be giving me this chance. They should’ve left me in the Ruins.” 

“DON’T YOU THINK THAT WOULD MAKE THEM SAD?” Papyrus asks, and god, he sounds like Asriel’s therapist. Or Mom. He’s not sure which is worse. 

“I, I don’t know! Why are we talking about them!” Static crackles at his paws, and he reigns it in. Everything feels too… much. 

“BECAUSE I’M THE SAME,” Papyrus says gently. “I WOULD BE VERY SAD IF YOU WEREN’T HERE, ASRIEL! I WOULD MISS YOU EVERY DAY.” 

“I hurt you…” Asriel argues weakly. 

“I HURT FRISK,” Papyrus responds, looking a bit mad at himself. “YOUR MOTHER HURT FRISK. YOUR FATHER HURT FRISK. I THINK SANS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY MONSTER IN THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND WHO _DIDN’T_ TRY TO HURT FRISK THE FIRST TIME HE MET THEM!” 

Asriel frowns. ~~The Judgement Hall, and a red eyed child and a knife…~~ No, that never happened. Probably. He shakes his head to clear it. 

“IT’S TRUE!” Papyrus continues, misinterpreting the headshake, but it’s fine, because Asriel doesn’t want to think about… that. “MAYBE THEY ARE TOO NICE. I CONSTANTLY FEEL BAD ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED! BUT I THINK AS LONG AS WE KEEP TRYING TO BETTER OURSELVES, REALLY TRYING, WE HAVE TO THINK OF THE PAST AS THE PAST.” 

“I’m… sorry.” Asriel mutters, grimacing a bit. He can’t meet Papyrus’s eyes. “I feel like I brought up bad memories.” 

“IT’S PERFECTLY FINE.” Papyrus waves a hand dismissively. “MY POINT IS, YOU ARE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO BETTER YOURSELF, ASRIEL! APOLOGIZING, ACKNOWLEDGING WHAT YOU DID - YOU _ARE_ BETTER THAN YOU WERE.” He pauses. “NOT TO MENTION, YOU WERE KIND OF… SOULLESS. THAT DOES HAVE SOME IMPLICATIONS.” 

“Huh?” Asriel blinks. There’s still a puzzle piece in his hand - it’s a little bit… crumpled. “Oh. Um, because I couldn’t really… feel what I was doing?” 

“EXACTLY!” Papyrus exclaims, looking like he won a prize. “I THINK I WOULD BE MORE HESITANT TO FORGIVE YOU IF YOU HAD HAD A SOUL. BUT YOU DID NOT, SO THERE’S NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THAT!” 

Asriel nods. Then, he holds out the crumpled puzzle piece. “I, um…” 

Papyrus frowns. He looks more upset over the puzzle piece than anything else, which is… it’s kind of nice, in Asriel’s opinion. 

“WE’LL JUST HAVE TO TRY AND UN-CRUMPLE IT!” 

(It takes three hours to complete the puzzle, not including the whole conversation they had, and in the end, Papyrus does most of the work, because Asriel’s paws are too big for such small pieces. But it’s okay. It’s good.)


End file.
